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Now I published this trilogy...

Graylorne

Archmage
Now I have a problem. With the Shardheld Saga trilogy published, would it serve a purpose to keep the three separate volumes (Shardfall, Runemaster, Shardheld) out as well and, more important, to pay for new covers for them?

Would anyone be buying them? If it were a longer series, I'd say yes. But three books? The trilogy would be cheaper.

I don't really see my way clear right now.

Anyone a suggestion?
 

Graylorne

Archmage
I decided to keep them and have new covers made. Especially, because I want to publish them in Dutch, too, so those covers serve a double purpose.

And yes, I can offer the 1st volume for 99c. Not free, for I'm no Kindle Select member.
 

Graylorne

Archmage
Yes, my books are all over Smashwords and friends, Google Play, D2D. I'd rather have a broad presence, instead of Kindle Select.
 

FarmerBrown

Troubadour
I've read once you have a trilogy, the best thing you can do is make book one permanently free, which you can do trough Amazon after you make it free elsewhere. Just report to Amazon that it's free and they'll update your price to $0. Then you could give Freebooksy a try ;-) as well as Bookbub. Apparently 99c is still too much of a gamble for most people... Good luck! I got this info from browsing Kboards.
 
If you don't want to do that, and you're willing to do the extra work, you could write something like a 30k words novella set in the world of your trilogy and put that up for permafree.
 

Graylorne

Archmage
I can make book 1 permafree, like FarmerBrown suggests. I don't mind giving it away; it's only 129 pages. The real meat is in the other two volumes.
 

Graylorne

Archmage
Some numbers:

Shardfall went Free in Kindle on March 12. I haven't done any publicity yet, so every download I have was a spontaneous action. All are on Amazon.com.

March 12 - 27 downloads
March 13 - 31 downloads

Now I believe there are authors who did tens of thousands of downloads in less'n a week. Somehow, I don't think I will match that...

Tomorrow there will be a Booksends (aka Bookblast) mailing. I'm curious to see what that will do.
I have looked into BookBub, but it's just too expensive, especially as returns aren't certain at all.

Also tomorrow the Enchanted Book Promotions tour for Lioness will start. Some 23 stops with excerpts, interviews of author/character and reviews. If anyone wants to see it work, you'll find it here.

For now, that's it on the promo front.
 

FarmerBrown

Troubadour
Thanks for the info! I'd love to hear how your promo goes, and how the free book affects #2, #3, and trilogy sales.
 

Graylorne

Archmage
March 14 - 14 downloads
March 15 - 611 downloads (thanks to the Booksends)

Shardfall is now #1 in the Y.A. Free Fantasy - Swords & Sorcery, and #3 in general Free Fantasy - Myths & Legends - Norse & Viking. For what it is worth, of course :).
 

Graylorne

Archmage
The paid sales aren't in the same order yet :).

It is all a question of getting people to know you. That's the purpose of the free book, after all.

Whether it will have effect on either the other two Shardheld books or the trilogy I can't say yet. But for the first time I'm getting regular sales. Not many, but far more than last year. There is an upward curve I must see to hold on to.
 

Graylorne

Archmage
March 16 - 139 downloads
March 17 - 60 downloads

Still making sales - not in great amounts, but after months of zilch it is heartening to see something move.

Even made sales on Google Play, and I hadn't really expected that.
 

FarmerBrown

Troubadour
Are the fluctuations due to the blog tours? I looked into booksends after you mentioned it and it seems like you're getting decent exposure. Are you happy with it?
 

Graylorne

Archmage
March 22 - 22 downloads
March 23 - 27 downloads
March 24 - 8 downloads
March 25 - 8 downloads
March 26 - 11 downloads

I don't really know where they come from. It's not the book tour, for that one is about 'Lioness' and these are the free 'Shardfall' book. The book is still on page 1 of the Kindle Free Top 100 for Viking and Sword & Sorcery categories, perhaps that helps.
 
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